Muscarinic receptors as members of the G Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) are composed of a family of 5 receptor sub-types (M1, M2, M3, M4 and M5) and are activated by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. These receptors are widely distributed on multiple organs and tissues and are critical to the maintenance of central and peripheral cholinergic neurotransmission. The regional distribution of these receptor sub-types in the brain and other organs has been documented. For example, the M1 subtype is located primarily in neuronal tissues such as cereberal cortex and autonomic ganglia, the M2 subtype is present mainly in the heart where it mediates cholinergically induced bradycardia, and the M3 subtype is located predominantly on smooth muscle and salivary glands (Nature, 1986; 323: 411; Science, 1987; 237: 527).
A review in Current Opinions in Chemical Biology, 1999; 3: 426, as well as in Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 2001; 22: 409 by Eglen et. al., describe the biological potentials of modulating muscarinic receptor subtypes by ligands in different disease conditions like Alzheimer's disease, pain, urinary disease condition, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease etc.
A review in J. Med. Chem., 2000; 43: 4333 by Christian C. Felder et. al. describes therapeutic opportunities for muscarinic receptors in the central nervous system and elaborates on muscarinic receptor structure and function, pharmacology and their therapeutic uses.
The pharmacological and medical aspects of the muscarinic class of acetylcholine agonists and antagonists are presented in a review in Molecules, 2001, 6: 142.
N. J. M. Birdsall et. al. in Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 2001; 22: 215 have also summarized the recent developments on the role of different muscarinic receptor subtypes using different muscaranic receptors of knock out mice.
Muscarinic agonists such as muscarine and pilocarpine and antagonists such as atropine have been known for over a century, but little progress has been made in the discovery of receptor subtype-selective compounds making it difficult to assign specific functions to the individual receptors. Although classical muscarinic antagonists such as atropine are potent bronchodilators, their clinical utility is limited due to high incidence of both peripheral and central adverse effects such as tachycardia, blurred vision, dryness of mouth, constipation, dementia, etc. Subsequent development of the quarterly derivatives of atropine such as ipratropium bromide are better tolerated than parenterally administered options but most of them are not ideal anti-cholinergic bronchodilators due to lack of selectivity for muscarinic receptor sub-types. The existing compounds offer limited therapeutic benefit due to their lack of selectivity resulting in dose limiting side-effects such as thirst, nausea, mydriasis and those associated with the heart such as tachycardia mediated by the M2 receptor.
Annual Review of Pharmacological Toxicol., 2001; 41: 691, describes the pharmacology of the lower urinary tract infections. Although anti muscarinic agents such as oxybutynin and tolterodine that act non-selectively on muscarinic receptors have been used for many years to treat bladder hyperactivity, the clinical effectiveness of these agents has been limited due to the side effects such as dry mouth, blurred vision and constipation. Tolterodine is considered to be generally better tolerated than oxybutynin. (W. D. Steers et. al. in Curr. Opin. Invest. Drugs, 2: 268, C. R. Chapple et. al. in Urology, 55: 33), Steers W D, Barrot D M, Wein A J, 1996, Voiding dysfunction: diagnosis classification and management. In “Adult and Pediatric Urology,” ed. J Y Gillenwatter, J T Grayhack, S S Howards, J W Duckett, pp 1220–1325, St. Louis, Mo.; Mosby. 3rd edition.)
Despite these advances, there remains a need for development of new highly selective muscarinic antagonists which can interact with distinct subtypes, thus avoiding the occurrence of adverse effects.
Compounds having antagonistic activity against muscarinic receptors have been described in Japanese patent application Laid Open Number 92921/1994 and 135958/1994; WO 93/16048; U.S. Pat. No. 3,176,019; GB 940,540; EP 0325 571; WO 98/29402; EP 0801067; EP 0388054; WO 9109013; U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,601. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,174,900, 6,130,232 and 5,948,792; WO 97/45414 are related to 1,4-disubstituted piperidine derivatives; WO 98/05641 describes fluorinated, 1,4-disubstitued piperidine derivatives; WO 93/16018 and WO96/33973 are other references.
A report in J. Med. Chem., 2002; 44:984, describes cyclohexylmethyl piperidinyl triphenylpropioamide derivatives as selective M3 antagonist discriminating against the other receptor subtypes.